“Everybody in that locker room loves Sandro!” - Coach Mike Budenholzer looks back at Sandro Mamukelashvili’s stint with the Milwaukee Bucks

Tough choice

Budenholzer said it wasn’t easy to part ways with a player who played all-out in his limited minutes with the Bucks for over two seasons.

“You know, the young guys, they come in the league, you put your arm around them, but he gave it all back to us in a big way. So I think today was hard and tough for us and for Sandro,” Budenholzer told reporters after the Bucks' 139-117 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

While he did not play a ton of minutes, the 23-year-old big man was well-loved within the Milwaukee organization, Budenholzer shared.

“He brought a ton..his spirit, he’s just a human being is off the charts. Everybody in that locker room loves Sandro. The coaching staff feels the same way,” Budenholzer shared.

Still a promising future

While the Bucks may have parted ways with Sandro, Budenholzer still believes that a bright future awaits the Georgian big man.

“I think it’s part of his journey in his career. I would say even though we’re making this move, to think that Sandro is gonna have a career and be a good player in this league. We all understand, and actually, we believe in that,” said Budenholzer.

Budenholzer said as much as they wanted to keep Sandro, the Bucks needed to explore more things to further improve the team.

The veteran coach also believes that the move will eventually benefit Mamukelashvili, who was the Bucks' 54th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

“Sometimes you have to do things, keep searching and finding ways to make us our best, and this is in some ways good for him too,” Budenholzer said.

Mamukelashvili was on a two-way contract when he appeared in 65 games with the Bucks over the last two seasons, averaging 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game.